Sunday, 11 September 2011

Links to Learning

An important theme for KnowledgeSmart this year, is 'Links to Learning'. That is, making the connection between highlighted skills gaps and corresponding training content, as simple a journey as possible for KS customers.

The latest KS release takes an important step along the path to achieving closer links to relevant, targeted, training material.

Here is a summary of how AEC firms can now display focused, modular training content, as part of their skills assessment results analysis.

We have added a new stage to the question create/edit process, called 'Learning material'.

From here, KS admins can link modular training material to their KS question library. The key is to map the training content to the training tags (meta data) for each question. The training content can be a variety of formats. For example in-house training notes, PDF help-sheets, Intranet pages, etc. Or, alternatively, training material from a 3rd party, such as video tutorials or web based training. KS admins can use the text box to add notes or web links and the file upload tool to assign files or video links. (NB to ensure that any web links open in a new browser, please use the 'Insert/Edit URL link' icon, enter the relevant web address(es) and select 'New window' in the dropdown).

Next, there is a new option in Settings > Test Feedback, called 'Feedback, Coaching & Learning on Report'.

Checking this option, will prompt a new section to display in the user test report, at the end of their test session. From here, users can access the wider training content, relating to questions where they dropped marks. So the idea is that, KS Coaching notes provide feedback on each specific task. Whilst Learning notes provide broader feedback on the topic being covered by each question.

We are in discussion with a number of 3rd party training providers, to map their learning material, to the topics being covered by KS skills assessments, across a range of software titles. In the Results > Training Requirements page, we have listed a number of training providers, who are developing modular content, which can map to the KS training tags. (KS is not a reseller for any of these companies, but we are working together to provide closer links to their respective courseware solutions).

This development is another important step along the road to achieving a continuously improving journey, between assessment and learning.